Recipe: Cherry Marzipan Chewy Milk Candy
by Abby Morrison
October 05, 2021
Our inspiration comes from one of the two titular flavors for our Cherry Marzipan Oolong. For those of you who can't get enough of all the latest baking championship shows, you may recognize this ingredient. For those who don't, or just want a refresher, we've got your back.
Marzipan is a type of confection made from sugar, honey, and almonds. It can be enjoyed as part of any number of treats, such as cakes and bonbons, but it is also uniquely prized for the fact that it can be molded and hold its shape. This, as one might expect, is particularly useful for pastry decorators, who often use it alongside other favorites like sugar-work, fondant, and modeling chocolate to create well, almost anything (see aforementioned baking shows).
Given marzipan's moldability and simplicity, it seemed only right to borrow its flavor to make these flexible, easy candies.
To begin, you'll want to brew your Cherry Marzipan Oolong at double strength. Note that this is done by using two times the amount of tea leaves, not by doubling the brew time, which will burn the tea. You'll need 14 tbsp, which is just under a cup.
Once that's ready, combine your glutinous rice flour and corn starch. While glutinous rice flour is not required to make milk candy, we found it gave the candies a bit more chew in the end. Feel free to adjust as you see fit. Mix the rice flour and corn starch, then add your sweetened condensed milk and tea, mixing until there are no clumps. Pour your mixture into a skillet over medium low heat, then stir constantly until you have a ball that's similar in consistency to thick dough.
There are two ways you can shape your candy. The first, more common way is to place the candy on a plate and then cut it into bite-sized pieces with your spatula. Individual pieces can then be further shaped as desired. The second option comes from this YouTube video, wherein the candy is put into a piping bag. As you squeeze the bag, you then cut pieces of candy off at the tip using kitchen shears, dropping them into ice water to keep them from sticking to each other. I found this option a little easier if you don't mind a less pretty final product, but either will do.
Once that's done, you can optionally chill your candies for about thirty minutes. This will allow the mochi to set, increasing chewiness.
Finally, though this recipe is easy, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
First, while you can alter the ingredient ratios in this recipe, you should make sure to have at least some milk in it. We found that using too much tea resulted in an almost rubbery end product.
Second, make sure to mix everything together before putting it into the skillet. If you don't, you'll wind up with clumps of starch or flour surrounded by mochi, which are very difficult to break up.
Third, if the mochi gets too sticky to shape, you can use a dusting of starch, rice flour, or coconut oil to reduce stickiness. We found that a small dab of coconut oil on the palms went a long way towards helping us shape our candies. Enjoy!
Cherry Marzipan Oolong Chewy Milk Candy Recipe
This treat turns a little milk, tea, and starch into a chewy, cherry confection similar to mochi.Makes: ~24 candies
Time to make: 5 min, plus 30 min optional cooling time
Ingredients
14 tbsp Cherry Marzipan Oolong (2x strength)8 tsp glutinous rice flour
5 tbsp corn starch
5 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
Coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
Brew 1 cup of Cherry Marzipan Oolong, using 2x the amount of tea.Put glutinous rice flour and corn starch in a bowl, mixing with a fork.
Add sweetened condensed milk and Cherry Marzipan Oolong, mixing until there are no clumps remaining.
Put the mixture in a skillet over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula.
Keep stirring until the mixture is like a thick dough.
Place the mochi mixture on a plate and divide into bite-sized pieces with a spatula.
Shape the candies using either your hands or the spatula. You can use a dusting of corn starch, rice flour, or coconut oil to reduce the stickiness as needed.
Optionally, cool the candies in the fridge for 30 min. Enjoy!